To Go Upon Discovery begins with Cook's arrival in Canada in 1758 and ends with his appointment to take Endeavour to the South Pacific. In between these dates, we witness the siege of Louisbourg during the Seven Years' War, where Cook made his almost accidental discovery of the surveying techniques that distinguished him and gave him a prominent place in history. We see the development of his abilities while based in Halifax (1759-62), a port he knew better than any but his home port of Whitby, England. We are also party to the detailed description of Cook's Newfoundland survey of 1763-67.
"An excllent treatise, for it is not only a good and reliable record of what the great navigator did in waters that were soon to become Canadian but also demonstrates that in Canadian history the sea is one."
